Adobe Dreamweaver CS6 is Here!

Adobe Dreaweaver CS6

Since Dr. Zoidberg’s expression has clearly articulated my reaction, I’ll simply move on to the good news. Yes, it’s here. Already. CS6. Too soon. Definitely? Sorry to see it? Definitely not. It’s awesome. Not in the “They’re bringing back Firefly!” realm, but still pretty awesome as an app set. I know the world is sold on Photoshop as the center of the universe, and that may be true. But I tend to spend more time in the other apps of the set. In this post, I’ll be specifically praising my good friend Dreamweaver.

Not to bore you with the stuff that hasn’t changed, I’ll jump straight to the new stuff.

New site manager

The Manage Sites dialog box (Sites > Manage Sites) has a new look and feel, although much of the functionality remains the same. Additional functionality includes the ability to create or import Business Catalyst sites.

Fluid grid-based CSS layouts

Use the robust new fluid grid layouts in Dreamweaver (New > New Fluid Grid Layout) to create adaptive CSS layouts that respond to varying screen sizes. When you build a web page using a fluid grid, the layout and its contents automatically adjust to the user’s viewing device, whether desktop computer, tablet, or smart phone.

CSS3 transitions

Use the new CSS Transitions panel to apply smooth property changes to CSS-based page elements that respond to trigger events such as hovering, clicking, and focusing. (A common example is a menu bar item that gradually fades from one color to another when you hover over it.) You can now create CSS transitions using both code-level support, and the new CSS Transitions panel (Window > CSS Transitions).

Multiple CSS class selection

You can now apply multiple CSS classes to a single element. Select the element, open the Multiclass Selection dialog box, and choose your classes. After you apply multiple classes, Dreamweaver creates a new multiclass from your selections. The new multiclass then becomes available from other places where you make CSS selections.

You can open the Multiclass Selection dialog box from several access points:

The context menu of the tag selector at the bottom of the Document window (right-click a tag and choose Set Class > Apply Multiple Classes.)

PhoneGap Build integration

Through direct integration with the exciting new PhoneGap Build service, Dreamweaver CS6 customers can build native applications for mobile devices using their existing HTML, CSS and JavaScript skills. After you log into PhoneGap Build via the PhoneGap Build panel (Site > PhoneGap Build), you can build your web application directly on the PhoneGap Build service, and download the resulting native mobile applications to either your local desktop or mobile device. The PhoneGap Build service manages your project and allows you to build native applications for the most popular mobile platforms, including Android, iOS, Blackberry, Symbian and webOS.

NOTE TO CS5.5 USERS: The way that Dreamweaver CS6 supports building native apps for iOS, Android, and other mobile operating systems using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the PhoneGap framework has changed completely. It no longer installs the Android software development kit (SDK) and emulator. Nor can the Mac version hook directly into Xcode and the iOS simulator. Instead, there’s a new panel that uploads your files to PhoneGap Build, an online service that automatically packages applications for iOS, Android, webOS, Symbian, and BlackBerry. Using PhoneGap Build is much easier than working with a simulator, because the Dreamweaver panel displays a QR code that lets you load the app directly onto your testing device. However, you need to build the configuration file manually in XML, and there’s no longer any code hinting in Dreamweaver for PhoneGap plugins. So, although the integration of PhoneGap Build is a definite improvement, it feels as though the engineering team didn’t have time to polish some important details.

You can now build an app for iOS on either Mac or Windows, but in order to compile it, you need to create a valid signing key and upload it to PhoneGap Build. The signing key must be created on a Mac. You also need to register with Apple as an iOS developer and pay an annual fee.

jQuery Mobile 1.0 and jQuery Mobile swatches

jQuery Mobile 1.0

Dreamweaver CS6 ships with jQuery 1.6.4, as well as jQuery Mobile 1.0 files. Starter jQuery Mobile pages are available from the New Document dialog box (File > New > Page From Sample > Mobile Starters). You can also now choose between two kinds of CSS files when creating your jQuery mobile pages: full CSS files, or CSS files that are split into structural and theme components.

jQuery Mobile swatches

Preview all the swatches (themes) in a jQuery mobile CSS file by using the new jQuery Mobile Swatches panel (Window > jQuery Mobile Swatches). Then use the panel to apply swatches to or remove them from various elements in your jQuery mobile web page. Use this feature to individually apply swatches to headers, lists, buttons and other elements.

Business Catalyst integration

New Business Catalyst sites

You can now create a new Business Catalyst trial site directly from Dreamweaver, and explore the broad capabilities that Business Catalyst can provide to your clients and projects.

Business Catalyst panel

After you log in to your Business Catalyst Site, you can insert and customize Business Catalyst modules directly from the Business Catalyst panel (Window > Business Catalyst) in Dreamweaver.You’ll have access to rich functionality such as product catalogs, blogs and social media integration, shopping carts and more. The integration provides a way for you to eamlessly work between your local files in Dreamweaver and your site’s database content on the Business Catalyst site.

Web fonts

You can now use creative web-supported fonts (such as Google or Typekit web fonts) in Dreamweaver. First, use the Web Font Manager (Modify > Web Fonts) to import a web font into your Dreamweaver site. The web font then becomes available for use in your web pages.

Simplified PSD optimization

The Dreamweaver CS5 Image Preview dialog box is now called the Image Optimization dialog box. To open the dialog box, select an image in the Document window and click the Edit Image Settings button in the Property inspector. Some of the options found in the previous CS5 Image Preview dialog box now appear in the Properties Inspector.

An instant preview of the image is displayed in Design view as you change settings in the Image Optimization dialog box.